Lafayette Police Department receives national accreditation honors

By rguillot

Created 03/28/2013 - 5:00am

POSTED: Thursday, March 28, 2013 - 5:00am

UPDATED: Thursday, March 28, 2013 - 5:04am

LAFAYETTE, La — In a ceremony held in Charleston, South Carolina, on Saturday, March 23, the Lafayette Police Department was nationally accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) at the 100th CALEA conference.

Lafayette Police were shown to have complied with 467 standards in order to gain accreditation through CALEA. By participating in this voluntary process, the commission verified that the Lafayette Police Department is recognized as a public safety professional agency of excellence with other agencies nationally.

After receiving the award Chief Craft thanked the men and women of the Lafayette Police Department and the administration of Lafayette Consolidated Government for their support during the 2 year process. “This is a day the citizens of Lafayette and the members of the Lafayette Police Department can be proud of. The Lafayette Police Department will continue to strive to provide professional and quality services to the citizens we serve.”

The Lafayette Police Department began the process on November 9, 2010, when a contract was signed with CALEA, giving the department 3 years to voluntarily comply with over 450 standards. On November 11, 2012, an assessment team from CALEA arrived in Lafayette and scrutinized the department’s policies and procedures. The assessment was a success and the CALEA team recommended a full accreditation for the Lafayette Police Department. The process was completed a full year ahead of schedule. The Lafayette Police Department now joins 5 other agencies that have achieved CALEA law enforcement accreditation within the State of Louisiana.